They want to pass an amendment in the US banning gay marriage. To oppose the amendment, visit this l...
They want to pass an amendment in the US banning gay marriage. To oppose the amendment, visit this link http://www.hrc.org/millionform arriage. I want to marry my American girlfriend!!
Member since:06.02.2004
Reviews:6
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This is my first opinion. I hope it works out fine... :)
I've been living in Madrid my whole life. In fact, I'm Spanish, and I'm just studying abroad for a year (currently living in St. Andrews), so I think I can speak from my own experience about this wonderful city. Madrid is the capital of Spain, so many people from other parts of Spain usually go to live there. That makes of Madrid a city with a great mixture of cultures and a huge diversity of styles. When one visits Madrid for the first time, one gets the impression that it's a chaotic city. People running to their jobs, traffic jams all over the place, so many shops that you get lost.... Lots of colours, lots of sounds and the usually high pitched voices of Spanish people (no, we're not fighting when we talk to each other, we just like to express ourselves moving
a lot our arms, and tend to speak too loud). For those who want to go there, one of the best places to visit is Sol. Here, you can find almost anything. There're lots of shops, starting with the famous "Corte Inglés" (mostly clothes) and continuing with "La Casa del Libro", a huge bookshop where you can find books in Spanish as well as in other languages, or "Fnac", a shop where they sell cds, dvds, books..., and where you can buy tickets for concerts, theatre shows, etc... Near to Sol, one finds the "Gran Via", shown in films like "Open your eyes": a really big street with lots of cinemas, theatres and coffee shops as well as expensive and fast-food restaurants. We've also been invaded by the American culture, so you'll see lots of McDonald's, Burger King and Starbucks Coffee shops. Most people in Spain know how to speak in English, or at least how to communicate more or less ok with English people, which facilitates tourism. There's a wide selection of hotels and hostels in Madrid, going from the really expensive ones that basically only famous or very reach people can afford (like the Plaza) to very cheap ones, even in the very centre of the city. The architectural sight is amazing. There're are lots of museums (Madrid is beginning to have a lot of modern art museums), among which I recommend "El Prado". There, you'll find masterpieces, particularly from Italian artists and Spanish artists like "EL Greco", "Goya", or "Velázquez". Quite an interesting place to visit if you have the opportunity. You should also go to Opera, which is very near to Sol, where you'll be able to see the Opera theatre and the Royal Palace (quite amazing, by the way). However, maybe the most interesting thing about Madrid is the night. If you have seen any film by Pedro Almodovar, you'll see what he means by "movida madrileña". Madrid is full of discos, pubs and bars. You can go to a disco at 8pm and go back to your house at 4pm the following day, or, if you have enough energy, stay 24 hours or more dancing like crazy. There are also lots of music styles, so you'll just have to look for what you want. You can find places where they only play rock, or pop, or cheesy music, or Spanish music. But, I promise, you can find ANYTHING if you know how to look for it. Also, something famous about Madrid is its gay zone. This is a really big part of Madrid, situated right in the centre of the city. It has some of the best pubs and discos and usually not only gay people go there, but also straight, because the atmosphere is just great. The drinks are a bit expensive in this part of the city, though. And, talking about drinks... That is something that really differences us from other countries, specially from the UK. In Spain, when you ask for a drink - say for example rum and coke - you'll get four or five times the quantity you get in the UK. In some places, you can even ask for litres of combinated drinks, such as the one mentioned before. One of those drinks will usually cost around 5 euros, which is more or less 3 British pounds. To conclude, I'll just say that, if you have the opportunity to travel to Spain, don't forget about going to Madrid for a few days. It's sure worth it and you won't be disappointed. (There are great travelling offers with Easy Jet and Ryan Air, only that if you choose the second one you'll probably have to travel to Valladolid and then get a bus from there to Madrid. Nothing to see in Valladolid, really.)
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De madrid al cielo dicen,jaja.Good first review but much of thigs you told i knew because i live in madrid jeje.Un saludo
jo145 13.02.2004 19:28
Lovely review. Your english is excellent. I wish I could manage more Spanish than "Dos cafes con leche, por favor" , Madrid sounds well worth a visit. Jo
petitesquirt 09.02.2004 21:10
sounds exhaustive ... so much to do and so little time.
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We propose some unforgettable holidays in "El Capistrano Villages", in Nerja, the privileged balcony of the Costa del Sol. "El Capistrano Villages" is, possibly, the most beautiful and exclusive Urbanisation on the Costa del Sol.
Advantages: great bars and restaurants, wonderful for shopping Disadvantages: Some areas are a bit run down, gets unbearably hot at the height of summer
reh106 14.07.2000 ·
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Review of Madrid (Spain)
Feb 7th, 2004
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